After a long dry winter rains finally came! For three days the rains just came down heavily. This garden was completed right before the rains. During the rain, raindrops can be seen coming down from the two down spouts, going right into the the soil of the garden. The plants waved gently in the rain, as if saying: “Thank you!”

Before – brown lawns

The owner has been at this place for some time. Ever since he moved here, he had not done anything to the front and back yards. The lawns went brown during the drought, looking quite barren. Even after the very wet year of 2017, they did not come back. Finally, when the owner heard about the Santa Clara Landscape Rebate Program in his city, he decided it was the time to start doing something.

In the backyard there is an olive tree. It is a large tree with lots of black olives lying on the ground.

Designing the Garden

The owner wanted to have a simple and easy conversion which would meet all the requirements of the Rebate Program. Luckily, there are a large number of attractive drought tolerant plants to choose from. When selected carefully, even just with a few, the plants can make an elegant and water efficient garden.

In Mediterranean areas like Spain where the olive trees originate from, the tree can be seen everywhere: in the open fields, at the hill tops, etc. There, lavender, rosemary, and other Mediterranean natives also grow in abundance. They are well adapted to the climate there, very drought tolerant, yet with attractive flowers and aroma.

California shares the same Mediterranean climate, so these plants also do well here. For the backyard design, it was decided some of these plants will be used, keeping the Mediterranean vibe alive.

An olive tree on top of a hill at Barcelona

Capture every drop in the garden

The front yard sits next to the side of the house, with thick bushes almost completely blocking out the wall. When the project started, the grasses were removed, the bushes cut, exposing the wall. On it there are two down spouts, pointing to the yard below (only one is shown in this photo). So, when it rains, all the rainwater from the roof will go into the yard, not driveway or other impervious surfaces, which is excellent.

After the historical drought that ended just last year, people all realize now how valuable water really is. With population increase and climate change, our demand for water will only increase. On the other hand, as the Sierra Nevada snowpack will “very likely” shrink by 30% in the next 20 years, the supply will decrease. How can we have enough water to meet our demand?

A big chunk of water do come to us every year, but in the past we send a large part of it away right away – the rain water. Rainwater is not a waste, but a very valuable resource of water. Steven Moore, a member of the State Water Resources Control Board, said, “Stormwater could be a significant addition to California’s water supply. Los Angeles estimates that rainfall could provide nearly half a million acre-feet (620 million cubic meters) per year. Stormwater could make a difference, it could see us through seven years of drought instead of five.”

If the rain water is directed to impervious surfaces like driveway, the water will just become runoff and be sent right away, which is a waste for this valuable water resource. In places with natural ground cover, 50% of the rain water can go back in the soil. In urban areas where a big chunk of surfaces are impervious, only about 15% of water goes back. Specifically, only 5% of the water infiltrates deep down, versus 25% with natural ground cover, which seriously deprives the ground from water recharging that is badly needed.

So, when it rains, we should direct as much water as possible to our garden, let it water the plants, soak into the soil, and recharge the ground water. By capturing every drop, we can make the best use of the water that fall on our roof every year.

After – drought tolerant landscape

The garden projects are done! This is how the front yard looks now:

To further absorb the rainwater, a small ditch was made in the middle of the garden. Filled with pebble stones, the “river” can take all the rain water coming down the two down sprouts when it rains. In addition to capturing the rain water, it adds a vivid element to the landscape, making it look more lively and appealing. The rocks scattering across the garden add yet more textures and balance out the “river” in the middle.

All the plants are drought tolerant. They sport pink, purple, yellow and white blossoms, making the garden not just water efficient, but also cheerful.

For the backyard, in front of the Olive tree, another Mediterranean native – the lavenders, add color and aroma.

Irrigation controller and drip irrigation was done for all the plants. In addition, a rain sensor was also installed, which is connected to the irrigation controller. When it rains, the rain sensor will send signal to the controller, which will delay the irrigation scheduled until the rain stops. A simple device can save even more water for the garden.

How does it do in the rain?

Right after the garden was installed, a much-waited-for rain came. For 3 days rain kept pouring down. How did the garden do?

Very well. While the rain that fell on the driveway inevitably runs off, every drop of the rain that fell on the roof all went into the garden from the two down spouts. Plants love the rain water, which is not treated with chemicals, as is the case for in-house water. Plants grown up with rain water usually grow faster, stronger, and have better and larger blossom.

After the project was finished, information such as garden photos were submitted to the Rebate Program, which issued a rebate promptly.

By converting a brown lawn into a water efficient garden, the space looks much more appealing. In a dry place like California, it can save 30-60% of water comparing with a lawn, saving cost and maintenance work. On top of it, when it rains, it can absorb every drop of the rain water, feeding the plants, and saving even more water. For all these these great benefits, you can receive a rebate of $1-$2 per square foot.

The owner was happy with the project. “It looks very good. We are really happy with the design. ”

We are not receiving the average level of rain this year; it looks we are going to have another dry year. We’ve got to be prepared for the dry time now. Why wait? Start today!

On an October morning, we went to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. It was a very clear and nice fall morning. On high way 99, you could see the irrigation ditch running parallel to the free way. Though tiny from afar, the blue color of the water contrasted briskly with the yellow banks along it and mountains behind it. Sierra Nevada and its snowpack, is the source for the water, which we will see very soon.

South Fork, Kings River

After we watched in awe the giant Sequioas the first day, we went to the Kings Canyon National Park the next day. When driving on the road into the park, one could see water running in the canyon to the right of the road, in the yellow and golden fall foliage. The views were spectacular.

This is the South Fork of the Kings River, one of the three forks that form the river (the other two are Middle and North Fork).

We stopped at Ceder Grove Visitor Center, which just closed for the winter season. A short distance away is the river bank of the King river. The water was so clear, like liquid crystal, moved slowly from east to west.

Where does all this water come from? Snowpack in Sierra Nevada, a mountain of which can be seen in the picture above at the back. However, there was no snow patch visible now.

Every year, during the cold winter season, snows falls on the Sierra Nevada, which means “snowy range” in Spanish. The whole mountain range captures and stores the vast amount of snow, then at spring time, the snowpack begins to melt and fills rivers with water, like the South Fork of Kings river here. The snowmelt peaks late spring around March to April, then declines through summer and fall, until it reaches the bottom around September. So we were at about what was supposed to be the very low point of snowmelt. The water level should be about the lowest now; usually we might not see all these rocks at the riverbed.

From here, the water in South Fork flows down Kings Canyon, then join other forks at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to become the one big Kings River. Later the Kings River divides into three distributaries, with North Fork Distributary connecting to the Fresno Slough that drains into the San Joaquin River. San Joaquin River merges with the Sacramento River in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta), from which the State Water Project and Central Valley Project deliver the water to many parts of the state, including the Bay area, Central Valley, Los Angles and Los Angeles Basin. So, when we turn on the tap back in the bay area, the water that comes out may be from the water we see here!

We continued on. When we passed the bridge for Roaring River, we decided to go take a small hike. Roaring river is a tributary for the South Fork; At the end of the trail, you could see a water fall, tumbling down one after another (the upper one could not be seen in the photo unfortunately). The water is jade green at the bottom of the fall. More than 100 years ago, when John Muir saw this water fall, he marveled: “There is one thundering plunge into a dark pool beneath a glorious mass of rainbow spray…”

After the double falls, the water tumbles down yet another step, then flows to this little pool surrounded by mountains and fall foliage, a stunning beauty in green tranquility. From here, it merges into the South Fork.

We came back to the main road along the South Fork, and went upstream. Along the way, every view with the river was captivating.

Sierra Nevada Snowpack: Critical Source of the Water

All this water comes from snowmelt of the Sierra Nevada, which is so critical for California’s water supply. As Sierra Nevada Conservancy indicates, “The Sierra Nevada Region plays a critical role in California’s water supply and hydrological system. More than 60 percent of California’s developed water supply originates in the Sierra Nevada serving end users throughout the State. Snowpack in the Sierra region provides a natural form of water storage, and Sierra forests and meadows play a role in ensuring water quality and reliability.”

By storing the water as snow in winter, and gradually releasing it in warmer seasons, the snowpack in Serra Nevada acts as a gigantic natural reservoir for the state. According to The Southwest Climate Science Center, “In California, the spring snowpack on average stores about 70% as much as the water stored in the State’s reservoirs.”

That’s amazing. The water that flows by in front of us is not just this incredible natural beauty; along with the surrounding mountains, the snowpack there invisible to our eyes, they are part of this huge water storage and delivery system, supporting “more than 25 million Californians and three million acres of agricultural land.”, as indicated by Sierra Nevada Conservancy. People like us who live in the cities, big and small, depend on it; the state’s agriculture business, at 45 billion in 2016, depend on it.

Challenges for the Snowpack

Such a critical resource, unfortunately, is under some very serious challenges.

The impact from climate change is significant. According to a study by UCLA Center for Climate Science:

“By 2081–2100, if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions, average temperatures in the Sierra Nevada are projected to increase by about 7–10 degrees F, depending on the month in question, compared with 1981–2000.

Warming will be associated with decreases in snow cover in the Sierra Nevada by 2081–2100. For the typical month of April, the land area covered by snow shrinks by 48%, compared with the typical April in 1981–2000. “

Reduced snowmelt runoff. Smaller snowpack means less snowmelt. This is already happening. Water Education Foundation indicates that “In the past 100 years, annual runoff that occurs during April to July has decreased by 23 percent for the Sacramento basin and 19 percent for the San Joaquin basin, according to state climate statistics.” As more than 60 percent of the state’s water supply comes from Sierra Nevada, the reduced runoff is a very serious challenge.

Snowline is moving uphill. Scientists at the Desert Research Institute in a study published in journal Water reported that warmer temperatures have pushed the snow line in the northern Sierra Nevada uphill by 1,200 to 1,500 feet.

There will be less snow and more rain. As the snowline moves up, in the big areas that used to receive snow, now will only receive rainfall. Snowpack is like a reservoir that releases water gradually throughout the whole year; Rain, on the other hand, will just flow away instantly as runoff. If we can’t capture and store all the runoff, we will lose a big chunk of water we have today.

Runoff timing moves earlier. For the Sacramento River, compared to 50 years ago, the peak snowmelt time has moved earlier by a whole month, from early April to early March. Here is the chart showing the changes in peak snowmelt runoff. When snowmelt peaks early, reservoirs are forced to release water earlier too, which means less water for later when water is needed the most – summer and fall. If the snow is gone before the reservoirs can recharge, then communities that depend on that stored water will face very tough situations.

Credit: California Department of Water Resources

More wild fires. Higher temperatures bring more wild fires. The loss of such a big number of trees deteriorates the eco system, reduces the nature’s capacity to store water, further worsening the water supply situation. As there will be no trees to slow down the runoff, the possibility and hazard of flooding will also greatly increase.

Value Every Drop

On our way home, we crossed the bridge of Kings River. Looking out of the window, one can see fields after fields of corps, all the way to the horizon. When one took a glimpse at the water in an irrigation ditch, it was clear, blue, and calm as a mirror, a contrast to the water we just saw in the Kings Canyon.

After it flows out of Kings Canyon, the Kings River comes here and irrigates this vast expanse of land, and beyond. It has been like that for many years, and it’s natural to think it will continue for many more years. However, as the Sierra Nevada snowpack will “very likely” reduce by 30% in the next 20 years, the water we see today might not be there tomorrow.

A city completely without water is not just a remote possibility any more, it is happening. Cape Town, the second largest city in South Africa, is projected to run into “Day Zero“, when running water will be completely cuts off from the city, in May.

As the natural water supply will only decrease, every drop of the water should be valued. By improving water use efficiency, Pacific Institute’s indicated in a report that we can save 1 million acre water a year. Out of all the methods to come up with more water, “improving the efficiency of our water use is the cheapest, easiest, fastest, and least destructive way to meet California’s current and future water supply needs.”

In California, outdoor landscaping watering accounts for half of total urban water use . To replace water-thirsty lawns with water efficient gardens is one of the most effective ways we can save water. Building such a garden will not only conserve water, but also beautify our space, provide food to the pollinator, and nurture a healthy eco system.

By putting every drop into the best use, not only will we have the water we need, we can also best show our gratitude to the nature, and its generous gifts for us for so many years.

While we love to appreciate the wonderful colors of the fall foliage, the one thing that often accompany it – the fallen leaves, is another story. “What a nuisance!” – we might think. With the thought we might just pick up the rake and bloom, sweep them together, pile them up, then dump them away as garbage. We have been doing this for so long we never thought second time about it.

But is this right?

Actually, the best place for those leaves to go is not garbage, but where they fall on – the earth, or soil, to be more precise. This is what nature has been doing for millions of years. It is the nature’s way of keeping everything alive and well.

Learn from nature

If we go to a forest, when we set our sight on its floor, we might see a thick layer of leaves, accumulated over many years. Nobody cleans them away; the leaves just keep falling and sitting on the older leaves, year after year. Over the time, those leaves at the bottom will be absorbed into the soil.

Fallen leaves are an excellent source of organic matter for the soil. With the help of all the living things in the soil, including macro (worms etc.) and micro organisms (bacteria, etc.) in the soil, they will be broken down and transformed into nutrients for the plants. The soil with the abundance of such nutrients is called black gold. These kind of soil is:

very fertile and great for plants growth. They are full of the nutrients, moisture, minerals and other matters that plants need for their growth; plants grow faster, taller and healthier with such soil;

holds more water. this kind of soil is a great environment for all kinds of macro and micro organisms. They improve the soil structure and make the soil like a sponge with many tiny holes. This kind of soil can retain a large amount of water, making it more drought resistant. If we have such soil in our garden, watering can be reduced by quite a bit.

In California, where drought is a constant threat, while all kinds of solutions are being explored, healthy soil, with its water holding capacity and implication for water usage reduction, can be an important part of the overall solutions.

can absorb more carbon. In addition to water, soil also holds air, with a big part of that is carbon. Plants take in carbon dioxide and water, and transform into sugars and oxygen in the photosynthesis function.

Healthy soil can also hold more carbon. As we are facing the climate change, which the carbon dioxide is the culprit, it turns out, soil can also play an important role for fighting climate change. According to Nature Conservancy, “Healthy soils can help reduce the impact of climate change by storing (or sequestering) up to 10 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. But, if soils are managed poorly or cultivated through unsustainable agricultural practices, soil carbon can be released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, which can contribute to climate change.”

From the above, we can see how important healthy soil is for us, and fallen leaves can be one of the keys to achieving it! Fallen leaves is something that healthy soil needs and badly craves. In stead of dumping the leaves away, we can try following.

Use fallen leaves the right way

These are the great ways to use the fallen leaves in your home:

Mulch your yard with leaves. This can provide two benefits at the same time: give soil the organic matter, and suppress the growth of weeds. No need to shred the leaves – they can be worked into the soil fine. If you prefer, you can shred them before mulching.

Compost. Leaves are an excellent source of compost materials. Put them into a compost bin, add food scraps and others (water, etc) with the right ratio, and let the compost process begin. After about two months, you can get good compost soil that you can apply to the plants.

Put them in a yard waste bin. If your city has a yard waste collection program, put them in the specific bin. The leaves in the bin will be sent to a compost facility instead of a landfill. This way you can help avoid the pollution in a landfill, and turned them into compost – something good for us.

Avoid using the leaf blower. They make noise and carbon dioxide, something we don’t need more of! If the leaves can’t be left on where they are (remember they make excellent mulch and contribute to great soil) and must be collected, just use a rake or bloom. Enjoy the foliage while you rake.

The New York Marathon finished last Sunday on Nov 5, 2017. While several days have passed, the excitement of seeing so many runners, the cheering crowd, and crossing the finish line in one of the most iconic races in the world is still so fresh on the mind. It has been such an extraordinary experience.

Determined to Run

Though I have run marathons a couple times before, I have never run a New York Marathon. In the last 2 years, I registered for the lottery, but never won. This year, with the high hope that “3 is the charm”, I was very sure that I would be able to make it. But the email came yet again telling me otherwise.

Hugely disappointed, I started to consider the only option, which I never looked at before – fundraising for charity. When I scrolled down the long list of organizations, came upon “Water for People”, and read through its description, right then I knew – this is it, I will fundraise to run my New York Marathon, and I will fundraise for Water for People.

Water is something that I have been working on for the last 2 years. Run for water – there is nothing more fitting to describe my mission for this marathon.

The Drought, and WaterEfficientGarden.com

From 2011-2016, California experienced an epic drought. At its worst, the water content in California’s snowpack was only 5% the normal level. Suddenly, everyone realized how valuable the water resource is, and how we must do everything possible to conserve water.

From “STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 2015-0032”:

“Achieving a 25 percent reduction in use will require even greater conservation efforts across the state. In particular, many communities must dramatically reduce their outdoor water use;”

“In many areas, 50 percent or more of daily water use is for lawns and outdoor landscaping. Outdoor water use is generally discretionary, and many irrigated landscapes will survive while receiving a decreased amount of water;”

To convert a lawn to a water efficient garden is the most effective way to conserve water. For a lawn of 500 square feet, it can take as much as 4000 gallons of water in a month; if it is replaced with a water efficient garden, 30% to 80% of water can be conserved. Suppose the original household water usage is 8000 gallons a month, and the garden saves 50% of water, the total water usage will reduce to 6000 gallons, a 25% saving versus the original.

It was during the drought, WaterEfficientGarden.com was created to help more people build water efficient gardens, conserving more water.

Water for People

According to its website, “Water For People is an international nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to creating reliable, safe drinking water resources, improved sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs in the developing world; it currently operates in 10 countries: Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, India, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia & Peru. ”

“The organization’s unique business-oriented approach works to establish partnerships between local and national government institutions, nongovernment organizations, private enterprise, and entrepreneurs to enable local communities, districts, and municipalities to plan, build, finance, maintain, and operate their own safe water and sanitation services. Water For People puts long-lasting solutions and 100% coverage of a region with safe water access for everyone at the forefront of its strategy. It fosters innovative solutions to water and sanitation problems that are adaptable worldwide, and through monitoring and evaluation of its program impact for at least 10 years post-implementation, Water For People ensures that its work is sustained by local partners.”

Water for People is rated 4 star by Charity Navigator, the highest of the ratings.

While the angles to work on the water issue are very different, we both try to address the same root – water. At Water for People, it aims to create more clean water resources for people; at WaterEfficientGarden.com, we want to help people conserve more water with water efficient landscaping.

It is Global

At the New York Marathon opening ceremony, runners from every country walked in a parade, a scene that strongly reminds you of the opening ceremony of Olympics. Yes, running is truly global today. In the more than 50000 finishers of the New York Marathon this year, 139 countries were represented.

Water is a critical resource for all human. The water crisis we may be facing tomorrow is equally global. United Nations predicts that in 2050, the number of urban dwellers living with seasonal water shortages will reach 1.9 billion, or more than a quarter of the world’s population. A global issue takes a global effort. We will need efforts like those of Water for People, and the energy behind the global running phenomenon to tackle the challenges together.

At WaterEfficientGarden.com, we aim to make it easier for people to build water efficient gardens, so more water can be conserved. As STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 2015-0032 indicated: “Water conservation is the easiest, most efficient and most cost-effective way to quickly reduce water demand and extend supplies into the next year, providing flexibility for all California communities. ” One of the easiest and effective ways is to replace a lawn with water efficient garden. Not only will it conserve water, but it can provide a beautiful view for the house, and give food to pollinators.

To solve the water issue globally is not unlike a marathon – it takes effort from everyone, and over a long period of time. Just like that in a marathon though, when everyone puts their mind, sweat and work into it, the finish line can be reached ultimately. Run for water – and we will win at the end.

When it rains, we enjoy hearing the sound of raindrops on our roof. After a drought of so long in California, those drops sound more like music to our ears. While enjoying the music, have you thought about where the stormwater goes to? Well, most of it just goes down the sewer, into the creeks and rivers, and eventually out to the ocean. What if that water is not sent away, but reused, such as, turned into beauty in your garden?

Storm water: waste or asset

In the past, stormwater has been treated as something akin to waste in cities, something that is collected and sent out to waterways in nature as soon possible. As people realize now, there are several issues of this.

First, a big chunk of water is lost. Rainwater is freshwater that is basically clean in most circumstances. It falls right on our roof so no transportation is required to receive that water. However, in the current infrastructure, that much freshwater is sent right away.

“Stormwater could be a significant addition to California’s water supply. Los Angeles estimates that rainfall could provide nearly half a million acre-feet (620 million cubic meters) per year. Steven Moore, a member of the State Water Resources Control Board, said, ‘Stormwater could make a difference, it could see us through seven years of drought instead of five.’”

Another issue is pollution. As it flows through the surface of the city, stormwater runoff collects all kinds of pollutants such as motor oil, gas, chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. As the stormwater is discharged into the waterways untreated, the toxic substances can pollute the water and harm birds, fishes and other aquatic life that live there.

One more issue is the loss of deep water infiltration. As the water that falls on impervious surfaces such as roof and concrete is sent right away, water that would otherwise have gone into soil, percolated and recharged the ground water is lost. As you can see, in cities where impervious cover is common, runoff can be as high as 55%, versus 10% with natural ground cover.

It has become clear that rainwater is not a waste, but an asset, a valuable resource of water supply, something that we should capture and reuse. While a common way to do so is using a rain barrel, there is another more direct way – build a rain garden.

What is a rain garden?

According to Wikipedia, “a rain garden is a planted depression or a hole that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas, like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas, the opportunity to be absorbed. This reduces rain runoff by allowing stormwater to soak into the ground (as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters which causes erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater).”

“The purpose of a rain garden is to improve water quality in nearby bodies of water and to ensure that rainwater becomes available for plants as groundwater rather than being sent through stormwater drains straight out to sea. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.”

So exactly what is a rain garden? To understand, we just need to turn our eyes to nature.

Imitate the nature

In spring time, when we go to a nature reserve or park, chances are we can see fields and fields of wild flowers. No one ever installs an irrigation system or waters these plants; they just live and keep turning out splendid blossom, year after year. How do they do it?

The answer is, after tens of thousands years, the native plants have adapted to the environment. In California where it rains in winter and gets dry in summer, another area in the world that has Mediterranean climate, plants take in all the water they can get in winter, grow rapidly, and bloom in spring. When summer comes and it becomes dry, they slow their growth or simply go dormant. They stay this way until winter, when the rains come again. As the raindrops come down, they “wake up” from the dormancy, drink up all that water and start to grow and bloom again.

They don’t need any additional watering; they just take all the water there is and live throughout a year. This is what plants in a rain garden will do.

At a rain garden, the depression or ditch will collect the rainwater runoff from a roof. When it rains, water will be collected there. The plants in the garden will absorb the rain water, and grow; When the rain season ends, they can just live on their own. Very little or no additional watering is needed for these plants in most cases. Just like their brothers and sisters in the nature, they can live with just the rainwater.

Compared with water supplied to each household, which is treated with chemicals to comply with the sanitary standards, guess which water the plants like better? Plants watered with rain water can usually grow faster, bigger, and have brighter blossom.

Designing a rain garden

Like so many lawns in California, Larry’s (not his real name) lawn turned brown during the historic drought. Though the drought ended and last winter was one of the wettest on record, the lawn did not come back . The brown lawn had been bothering Larry for a long time, but he was not sure what to do about it, until he heard that his lawn can be built into a beautiful garden; not just any new garden, but a rain garden!

One of the downspouts (the one on the left) is right next to the front yard. When it rains, the rainwater will just flow into the garden. The lawn is on a very slight slope from the house to the sidewalk, so the runoff will go outwards naturally. If a shallow basin is built close to the side of sidewalk, the rainwater can reach there and be stored in it.

That is exactly the design proposed to Larry. A small winding ditch will take the rainwater from downspout, and send it to this shallow basin. Some plants will be planted. After they absorb the rainwater in winter, they may only need a little watering in the remainder of the year, saving a remarkable amount of water.

Installing a rain garden

For the safety of the foundation, the rain garden should be some distance away. Usually it is advised that at least 10 feet of space should be left between the basin and the house.

Next, the shape of the rain garden is outlined.

How big should the garden be? It depends on how much runoff the roof can produce, and design an area that can take much of that runoff.

Suppose the area of the roof is 1000 square feet, with one inch of rain, it can produce about 600 gallons of runoff. If the rain garden is 1 foot deep, to absorb this much water, it needs an area of about 80 square feet. If the roof area is bigger, the rain garden should be larger too.

What shape can a rain garden be? It can be of anything – a circle, a bean, or a peanut. The smooth, curvy lines of these shape not only look appealing, but also reduce the force of runoff and effect of erosion.

Soil preparation

The bottom of a rain garden needs to be covered with a special type of soil, to help with water infiltration. It is a mixture of organic materials and coarse sand. The bottom of the whole area that water flows by and stays should be covered with the mix.

Plant selection

Plants in a rain garden should be able to stand both conditions well: wet and dry. Their roots should be able to take moisture for a long time, yet also survive in hot dry summer.

One plant that fits this very well is the Douglas Iris. A tough California native, it can be found close to beaches along the west coast. Hardy, drought tolerant, yet tolerant of wet soil, this is great choice for a rain garden.

The beauty of a rain garden

The garden is done! This is before

and after

The rain garden

When it rains, with a garden like this, the rainwater will be captured, and reused. Something that was sent away before can be turned into so much beauty in our own garden!

When it rains and all the raindrops fall on our roofs, have you thought about where the stormwater go to? Well, most of it just goes down the sewer, into the creeks and rivers, and eventually out to the ocean.

Stormwater – a waste?

Stormwater has been treated as something akin to waste in cities, something that is collected and sent out as soon as possible. A complete infrastructure is in place to get this done: gutters and downspouts to collect rains that fall on the rooftops, drains and catchbasins to gather runoffs from downspouts, streets and parking lots, underground storm sewers will then convey all the runoffs and discharge them to a natural water system such as a creek, river and ocean.

There are a couple issues with this. First, a big chunk of rainwater is lost to runoff. Rainwater is freshwater that is basically clean in most circumstances, which can be used directly for outdoor purposes, as well as indoor with proper filtering and cleaning. It falls right on our roof so no transportation is required to receive that water. However, in the current infrastructure, that much freshwater is sent right away, requiring another huge set of infrastructure to deliver the water we need.

Another issue is pollution. As it flows through the surface of the city, stormwater runoff collects all kinds of pollutants such as motor oil, gas, chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. As the stormwater is discharged into nature untreated, it pollutes the water system discharged into. Toxic substances from cars and pesticides can harm birds, fishes and other aquatic life. Nutrients from the fertilizers can cause the overgrowth of algae, depleting oxygen in waterways and aquatic habitats.

The third issue is insufficient water infiltration for the soil under the impervious cover and in general. As we can see in the illustration below, in a natural environment (left), 25% of water is infiltrated in shallow surface, and another 25% will percolate deep into the soil. In a city environment (right), those figures drop down to 10% and 5% respectively, so the water that goes into soil reduces from 50% of total to a mere 15%, a 70% reduction. The lack of deep infiltration is a big problem. Without proper recharge, the groundwater is seriously depleted in many places. As we rely on ground water as part of our water supply, this has a big impact for our water safety.

Lastly, waterway erosion and threat of flood. As a huge amount of water is gathered and discharged into waterway, the volume and speed it packs can erode the banks of the stream or river; when the volume is too heavy, it can flood surrounding areas.

Benefits of capturing and reusing rainwater

People’s thinking about rainwater has completely changed. Now, rain water is no longer thought as waste; instead, it is viewed as an asset, something we need to capture and reuse.

A source of water supply

From 2013-2017, California experienced a historic drought. At its worst point, the water content in the snowpack was only 5% of normal. The drought was so severe, it was one of the worst in the state’s history.

After the drought, everyone realized we could no longer take the water supply as we knew it for granted. With climate change, drought might become more frequent and serious; on another hand, with economic expansion and population growth, our demand for water will just grow. How can we build the reliable water supply that can meet our needs?

“Stormwater could be a significant addition to California’s water supply. While the potential is still unknown in the Bay Area, Los Angeles estimates that rainfall could provide nearly half a million acre-feet (620 million cubic meters) per year, said Steven Moore, a member of the State Water Resources Control Board. This may sound trivial compared to the 33 million acre-feet people use statewide each year, but it’s not. “Stormwater could make a difference,” Moore said. “It could see us through seven years of drought instead of five.”

From a cost perspective, local stormwater capture is one of the cheapest methods for water supply. It is only more costly than urban water conservation, but much cheaper than others like recycling and ocean water desalination.

Reducing pollution and recharging groundwater

As the importance of rainwater is more thoroughly understood, people have been taking all kinds of steps to keep rainwater instead of letting it flow away. In the cities, permeable surfaces are replacing the impervious ones, and more and more rain gardens have been built, in the streets, around offices and in our gardens.

When it rains, the rainwater can infiltrate the soil from the permeable surfaces and rain gardens. In the process, harmful pollutants in the water can be filtered out; the cleaned water can percolate deep in the soil, replenishing groundwater.

Here is a storm drain at a street corner. The catch basin around it was built into a rain garden, allowing the rain water to sink into the soil.

a storm drain at a street corner

Reducing the threat of erosion and flood

Since water is directed away from the runoff, the total runoff volume will reduce, and the speed and energy that it packs up will lessen. As a result, the force to erode will be smaller, and threat of flood lower.

Building a rain garden

SB231

On Oct 6 2017, SB231 was signed into law in California, making it much easier to fund and build rainwater capture projects. The key is the clarification about whether stormwater projects are subject to the exemption of prop 218:

Excerpts from SB231:

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The ongoing, historic drought has made clear that California must invest in a 21st century water management system capable of effectively meeting the economic, social, and environmental needs of the state.

(b) Sufficient and reliable funding to pay for local water projects is necessary to improve the state’s water infrastructure.

(c) Proposition 218 was approved by the voters at the November 5, 1996, statewide general election. Some court interpretations of the law have constrained important tools that local governments need to manage storm water and drainage runoff.

(d) Storm waters are carried off in storm sewers, and careful management is necessary to ensure adequate state water supplies, especially during drought, and to reduce pollution. But a court decision has found storm water subject to the voter-approval provisions of Proposition 218 that apply to property-related fees, preventing many important projects from being built.

….

(h) Proposition 218 exempts sewer and water services from the voter-approval requirement. Sewer and water services are commonly considered to have a broad reach, encompassing the provision of clean water and then addressing the conveyance and treatment of dirty water, whether that water is rendered unclean by coming into contact with sewage or by flowing over the built-out human environment and becoming urban runoff.

…

(l) The Legislature reaffirms and reiterates that the definition found in Section 230.5 of the Public Utilities Code is the definition of “sewer” or “sewer service” that should be used in the Proposition 218 Omnibus Implementation Act.

With SB231, it is clear that rainwater capture projects do qualify for the Prop 218 exempts, making them much easier to fund and build.

To summarize, facing the ever increasing demand for water and a future with possibly longer and more frequent drought, we now look at stormwater with a completely new perspective. Gone are the days when we think of it as a waste; instead we know it is a great asset, and will try to capture and reuse it in a way that will benefit us, and the environment the best.

As the leaves on the trees have started to turn yellow, we know that fall is here. Here in the Silicon Valley in California, quite some lawns are also brown. Though California’s historic drought already ended in spring, many people keep the habit of water conservation and continue to let the lawns go brown. While this shows we have all been doing our part to conserve water which we can be proud of, the lawn, well, can look a little bit nicer……here comes the good news: fall is a very good time to remove the lawn, plant water efficient plants and have a beautiful garden! Not only is the time great for plants, thanks to landscape conversion rebate programs such as the one offered by Santa Clara Water District, by doing it now, you may also receive some rebates.

Fall is one of the best times for planting

Fall is one of the best times in the year for planting. There are several reasons for this.

Temperature. Very cold winter and very hot summer days can be harsh for young plants. Fall offers the optimal temperature.

In time for the rainy season. After plants are placed in soil, to establish and grow in the new place, they need the soil to be wet enough so the roots can stabilize and grow. With California’s Mediterranean climate, the rainy season comes in winter and early spring. When planted in fall, the plants have the right amount of time to settle in the new environment, and take the full advantage of rains when they come in winter.

Great for spring bloomers. A lot of plants bloom in spring. If they are planted in fall, by next spring some of them may grow enough to bloom. Blossom in spring – what a lovely view!

Good for pollinators. Most of the plants in a water efficient garden can provide food for bees, butterflies and other pollinators, which are so important for us. However, their population have been on a decline. Bees need more plants that they can feed on. By growing plants in fall, come spring time bees will have much more places to go to have their meal.

Many beautiful plants to choose from

There are a large collection of plants that are both water efficient and beautiful. If the lawn is replaced with plants that are on the Qualifying Plant List of Santa Clara Water District Landscape Rebate Program, it is eligible to receive the rebate of $1 per square feet. Browse some of these water efficient plants here.

Planted in fall, bloom in spring

These two gardens were planted in last fall, after just a winter, they all grew phenomenally and bloomed in spring this year. Last winter was one of the wettest on record, which definitely helped.

This California native garden was installed last October. How long did it take to bloom? Less than half year! And it lasted all the way through summer.

OctMayMay

This garden was installed in late last fall. It also bloomed in early spring, just several months after the installation.

DecMay

Conserve water, enjoy the garden

A beautiful garden is not only something you can enjoy everyday, but will also go a long way to conserve water. Although California’s drought already ended, as Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement, “This drought emergency is over, but the next drought could be around the corner. Conservation must remain a way of life.”

Outdoor watering for a lawn typically accounts for half or more of an household’s total water use; to convert a lawn to a water efficient garden, the water consumption for outdoor watering can be reduced by 30 to 60%, for total household 15 -40%.

You may receive rebate by removing the lawn and putting in water efficient plants now ($1 per square feet if all requirements are met). Find out more about the Santa Clara Landscape Conversion Rebate Program here.

Why wait? Now is the great time to plan and build that lovely water efficient garden! Find out more information at WaterEfficientGarden.com.

On Sept 12, Apple announced the launch of iPhone 8 and other products at its new Steve Jobs theater, which is part of the brand new campus Apple Park. While the world finally got to see the next generation of iPhone and other hotly-anticipated products, it also got a glimpse of the near complete Apple park, a project that has been in the works since 2014.

Apple Park sits on a 150 acres lot , 1 mile from its current headquater in Cupetino, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is the brainchild of the legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, a legacy project of his. “I want to leave a signature campus that expresses the values of the company for generations.” (Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, p.535). Everyone were curious to find out: how would this be achieved?

Spaceship, and 9000 trees

The most famous part of the Apple Park, of course, is the unique shape of its office building. As Steve Jobs said, “It’s like a spaceship has landed.” Creative, high tech, cutting-edge, futuristic… a very fitting image for the world’s most valuable high tech company.

Is the spaceship the only major feature of the Apple Park? No. If one takes a walk around Apple Park, he will see lots and lots of green – the campus is fully surrounded by trees and plants, not just inside, but also outside of the fence that separates the campus from the rest of the city.

Why all this green? Two obvious answers will jump to one’s mind: beautifying the campus, and privacy. Sure. However, there are some deeper reasons.

According to “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, “One of his (Steve’s) lingering memories was of the orchards that had once dominated the area, so he hired a senior arborist from Stanford and decreed that 80% of the property would be landscaped in a natural manner, with six thousand trees. ‘I asked him (the arborist) to make sure to include a new set of apricot orchards, you used to see them everywhere, even on the corners, and they’re pare of the legacy of this valley. ‘’’ (p.536)

So the trees and plants here are not just to to green up the space, but to serve two other very important purposes: to honor the legacy of the area, and create an environment that will look like the natural landscape around here.

Steve Jobs liked to walk at Stanford Dish, a trail around a large satellite dish with views of rolling hills that make up the valley. He admired the hundreds of live oaks there so much that he asked his people to track down the arborist who planted them, and hired him to be the senior arborist of the new Apple Park. As Steven Levy of Backchannel said, Jobs “wanted to create a microcosm of Silicon Valley, a landscape reenactment of the days when the cradle of digital disruption had more fruit trees than engineers. In one sense, the building would be an ecological preservation project; in another sense, it’d be a roman a clef written in soil, bark, and blossom.”

A view on Stanford Dish; the dish can be seen on the left

The result is a 150 acre campus that is 80% landscaped, with fruit trees, Califonia natives, and drought tolerant plants from other regions. The campus now has 9000 trees, 50% more than Jobs’ original number.

Bring back the “Old Valley” with California native plants

Just from the outside, one can see how Jobs’ vision is being realized.

Here, you can see lots of oak trees. Per Re-Oaking Silicon Valley, “In Silicon Valley, oak ecosystems were the defining feature of the landscape before large-scale transformation. Oak savannas and woodlands were so extensive that the valley was christened the Llano de los Robles, or Plain of the Oaks, by early explorers.” While we are far away from that now, these oak trees and others can bring us one step closer to it.

Here, you can see oak, strawberry tree, and perenials of yarrow and Douglas iris, all “big” California natives. All of them adpat well to California’s mediterrian climate, very drought tolerant and hardy.

Douglas Iris is a beautiful plant native to California coast. They bloom in spring, with purple blue flowers amid long green leaves.

Manzanita, another big California native

Seaside Daisy. You can find them at many coastal locations. They thrive in windy, cold and dry environments, with all the pretty purple blossom.

California Lilac

All these California native plants not only render the campus a beautiful place, but help bring back an old valley that existed before the transformation. What is more, since they are all drought tolerant, much less water is needed, helping to conserve a large amount of water .

When we are planning our own gardens, we can borrow a page from Apple, to build very water efficient yet pretty gardens with mostly native and drought tolerant plants. If you replace your lawn with a water efficient garden, you may receive rebate by removing the lawn and putting in water efficient plants now ($1 per square feet if all requirements are met). Find out more about the Santa Clara Landscape Conversion Rebate Program here.

Irrigate trees with recycled water

While most plants are native and only need a little water once established, when they were just planted, they still need quite some water to settle. As we can see, all the trees and planting areas are equipped with automatic irrigation, receiving regular watering.

9000 trees on the campus need a lot of water. To address this need, Apple planned something well ahead. It partly funded a project to lay pipes and bring recyled water to the campus. Per Jordan Kahn of 9to5mac.com, “Apple catalyzed talks among the various water stakeholders in the area, making plain its desire to use recycled water on its new campus, said Katherine Oven, deputy operating officer of the water district… ”Apple drove this project,” she said. ‘It really is a true partnership of both public and private agencies.’” The project finished in late 2016, in time for most of the trees and plants’ arrival.

By using recycled water, Apple can further reduce its net water usage, conserving more water. In a world where water the resource just keeps getting more scarce relative to our demand, recycled water has become a bigger and bigger part of the overall water strategy. How Apple waters its vast campus sets a good example.

Benefits of Trees

Trees can provide many benefits in addition to honoring a place’s legacy. They can

Improve air quality by reducing pollution and filtering out a big portion of the fine particle pollutants, and noises. In places with many trees, the air just feels more fresh and the environment quieter. In a city like Tokyo, although it has a population of over 9 million people and heavy car traffic, abundance of trees and vegetation must have played a big role in making it very clean (air) and quiet.

Reduce stress. Last year a study found that simply looking at trees can reduce your stress. If one gets more active by taking a walk or jog in the trees, the health benefit can be more significant.

Cool down the environment during hot summer days and reduce air conditioning energy and cost. While we are having more and more heat waves and extreme hot weathers in summer, the cooling effect of the trees have become ever more important. By reducing the energy required for air conditioning, we can further cut down the green house gas and its warming effect.

Increase biodiversity. A big tree like an oak can support a big ecosystem, with all kinds of insets, birds, small animals such as mouses and squirrels, as well as the plants that have been living close to it for tens of thousands of years. Each ecosystem can contribute to the health and richness of the much bigger ecosystem of the whole area.

Manage storm water and reduce the hazard of a flood. During storms trees can absorb a large amount of water, reduce runoff, reduce the speed and power of the rainfall, thus reduce the hazard of a flood in the city.

With all these benefits and more, it is easy to see why we should plant more trees. At office parks, at our own gardens, in the streets and parks. Include a tree or two when planning a water efficient garden.

Office and Trees: Yin and Yang of an Office Park

When Steve Jobs presented Apple Park’s plan to the Cupertino city council, he said, “I think we have a shot at building the best office building in the world.”

On the one hand, the Apple Park has a building in the very bold and creative shape of a spaceship; on the other, 9000 trees that take up 80% of the space. One is for innovation, technology, and products; another is for environment, nature, beauty, and inspiration; one eyes the future, the other ties to the place where we come from.

The building and trees are like Yin and Yang for Apple Park. Together they make this environment where people want to absorb the best the nature offers, and create the best technology and products in return.

In Santa Clara county where the Silicon Valley is located, Los Gatos Creek is one of the few urban streams that remains relatively intact throughout countless developments in the area during the last 200 years. The stream originates in the Santa Cruz Mountains, flows into the Vasona Reservoir, winds through a small valley, and clears into the Guadalupe river that finally empties into the San Francisco Bay. It is one of the many steams and creeks in the vast Guadalupe River watershed, and a habitat for many wetland species.

Watersheds are critical habitats for birds, fishes and other animals that live a wetland environment. 200 years ago, before any of the modern developments, the creek must have been a heaven for the birds and fishes. At the time, all kinds of birds could be seen flying in the sky and resting in the creek; fishes swimming through the creek in massive numbers.

Unfortunately, in the 200 years since, “about 90% of California’s original aquatic habitat has been altered or destroyed through human activities”, more than any other states in the nation. What we see in Los Gatos Creek today is one of the 10% that remains.

Today many of the parks like Los Gatos Creek often provides the only refuge in urban areas for native wetland species. They have been living here for tens of thousands of years. During migration season some species of birds will also come and use the place as a resting area, critical for their survival. If the park no longer exists, or its environment dramatically changes, it can be devastating for all the birds that have been depending on it for so many years.

Bird sightings at normal time

The birds that can be seen most often are Canadian goose.

Great egret and snowy egret can also be seen from time to time.

This was in the migration season of November. These birds were taking a rest before they flew out to their next destination.

Bird sightings after storms in 2016 winter

After an epic, historic 5 year drought, starting from late fall of 2016, California went from extremely dry to extremely wet, with record breaking rainfalls. Heavy rains pummeled from late fall all the way into spring, in some places floods and mudslides occurred. At Los Gatos creek, parts of the trail were also flooded several times.

The new “stream” in the previous trail was quickly discovered by some lovely “guests”. They came in swiftly, playing in this new playground of theirs, relaxing, fishing and enjoying a good meal!

Same as these ducks, quite some birds found out the new water and came right in. Here is normally what you would see when you cross a bridge to enter the trail and look down at the water . The right side of the creek bed is completely dry. On the morning after several heavy storms in January, though, the whole span of the creek bed was fully filled with flood water. On the muddy yellow water you could see these two little birds, guests that were not seen here before.

They are hooded mergansers.

After you walked a bit more along the trail, there was another surprise waiting. A Double Crested Cormorant was “relaxing” on a tree, which was never seen here either. She streatched her wings, turning her head from left to right, right to left, then left to right….with the kind of excitement of a baby. In the second photo, the two small birds could also be seen swimming in the same place.

The cormorant really liked it here. In the next 2-3 weeks you can see her swimming, resting and relaxing in this particular spot.

Even more surprises ahead. After you went further down the creek and came to this spot – Look! literally a bird’s paradise. So many birds, of different species, gathered here, rested in this comfy patch made from branches and grasses brought by the flood water. The patch was right in the middle of the creek, providing the birds all they needed: food, shelter, and a fun place to hang out. After just one day, though, the patch was gone, so went all the birds. Such a view was not seen again.

A great blue heron, and a great egret:

In the next 2-3 weeks when it continued to rain hard, more birds usually unseen could be found at the creek.

2 couples of the mallard duck. Look at that beautiful blue stripe.

A big group of the American coot, on the flooded trail. While coots can be seen often, such a big group was only seen during this time.

A big bird was seen here at the tree right beside the trail, towards the end of the rainy season. She really enjoyed the tree and stayed on it for hours, ignoring all the people who passed by on the trail. She was seen only once. This is a black-crowned night-heron.

Birds, habitat, and water

The heavy rains at Los Gatos Creek gave us a valuable opportunity to observe how a sudden increased level of water would mean for the creek habitat, and the ecosystem. If we just look at the birds, the answer is clear: they loved all that water. While we don’t have a count for the birds’ numbers during the storm time, the number of species, and the size of the bird groups we saw, increased quite significantly. This happened with just 2 months of storms, one could only imagine how it would turn out if the same rains continued for a longer time.

In the last 5 years, when California experienced the epic drought, the birds, and the whole ecosystem at the aquatic habitats must have been very stressed. They lost a big chunk of their habitat; at the habitats that did remain, water was way more scarce than usual. As Professor Peter Moyle from University of California, Davis pointed out, “Drought is hard enough on us, and on farmers, and cities, and so forth. It’s really hard on the fish, really hard on the aquatic and riparian systems.”

Continue with water conservation

Water will just become more scare in the future, relative to our demand for it, with population growth, economic expansion, and climate change. How can we manage and use it , so that we not only will have enough for ourselves, but also for the birds and fishes in the aquatic and reparian habitats?

While all kinds of solutions are being explored, one thing is clear: we must continue to conserve water, which is the easiest and cheapest solution among all. In California, we use half of our water in outdoor landscaping. If we can all switch to water efficient gardening, we can surely save a significant amount of water. As we see in the picture, when we save water with drought tolerant plants like these Mexican bush sages, we no only save for us, but also those birds in the creek.

When this garden was transformed from a weedy turf to a water efficient garden, not only would it save water, but a seed of a purple dream was also planted. When the garden was being planned, the idea was to have this dream place with the purple splendor. Lavenders lined two complete sides of the garden, as well as the parking strip. When the garden was finished, everyone was eager to find out: when will the purple walk come into life?

Growth in Spring

Spring 2017 was a season blessed with heavy rains. After the garden was done in early spring, in two months of time, the plants had grown a lot.

While the lavenders had not bloomed, rockroses put on their pretty pink flowers, giving the garden that “pop”, just in time when the pink and red blossom from camillas receded.

Rockroses are drought tolerant, require only little water once established. Planted in early spring, the blossom broke out after just 2 months. Tough yet pretty, this is a great choice for a water efficient garden.

These other plants also grew a lot and bloomed.

Purple Blossom in Summer

With waves of heat the summer arrived. How are the lavenders? The purple that everyone have been waiting is here!

Most lavenders had their first bloom, just couple months after they were planted. Not a full blown purple walk yet, but very clearly heading there.

Walking on the sidewalk, you can smell that strong aroma of lavender’s. They remind you of those wildflower meadows out in the country under the blue sky. Meanwhile, you can see dozens of bees flying in the bushes, making the buzz sound everywhere they go.

Great for Bees

Like many other native and drought tolerant plants, lavender is a bee’s magnet. Bees love to feed on them, better yet, they bloom for a long time, usually from summer to early fall, which means they can provide food to the bees for a rather long period. As bees are on on a decline, planting more bee friendly plants like lavender has become more important.

Lavenders are drought tolerant. As a matter of fact, they don’t like to stay in wet soils. Over-watering is one of the most common reasons that lavenders die. Using drip irrigation, just provide enough water when first planted, then water it occasionally once established – they can grow fast and well.

A Purple Dream With Less Water

When the garden was built, it was designed to be water efficient: drought tolerant plants, drip irrigation, automatic controller with rain sensor. The garden complied with all the requirements of Santa Clara Water District’s Landscape Conversion Rebate program and received the rebate upon finish.

In just several months, this garden grew from a collection of small plants into one filled with purple splendor and color. It adds this nice view to the house, realize the “purple dream”, filled the air with the pleasant lavender aroma. Better yet, all these were achieved with much less water than what were required for the lawn before. Although California is no longer in a drought, one big lessen we learned was that water is valuable, and we must cherish and conserve it to the best we can.

As Gov. Jerry Brown said, “Water conservation must remain our way of life.” As ourdoor watering typically accounts for half or more of a household’s water use in California, building a water efficient garden can save us a significant amount of water and go a long way towards that goal.